The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang
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Zadie and Finn are sisters whose mom disappeared five years ago. Finn is 18 now and Zadie is excited to spend a week reconnecting with her this summer at the beach house she has arranged. But Finn has a different plan for their summer vacation….looking for their mom.
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What I liked:
-This book kind of felt like a “quest” book. I love stories with a quest.
-The Wilder sisters have gifts that they talk about throughout the story. I loved learning about them.
-I loved Joel. 💜
-I wasn’t expecting how the story ended and not sure I 100% understand it either, but I liked it. The end was better than where I thought the story was leading me!
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"The Wilderwomen" by Ruth Emmie Lang is a blend of Family Fiction and Magical Realism!

"Nora Wilder was supposed to be a bird. At least that's what she thought when she looked at herself in the mirror and saw arms where wings should be."

"Although her wings were imaginary, Nora felt an almost continuous desire to stretch them, to unclench the knot in her back that tied them down and with one powerful flap, lift off into a cloudless sky."

Nora loves her two very special daughters, Zadie, and Finn, even though five years ago she simply flew away and disappeared from their lives.

For the past five years, twenty-three-year-old Zadie, and seventeen-year-old Finn have been forced to live apart because of their ages. Zadie, mostly with boyfriends, and Finn with a loving foster family.

What makes Nora's daughters so special? Zadie can see things before they happen, and Finn can experience other people's memories, she calls 'echoes'.

On the afternoon of Finn's high school graduation party, she experiences a powerful 'echo'. She wakes up to find herself on the floor of an aviary, remembering a woman and a song about a bird she's heard before. Finn realizes it was Nora's memory from a decade ago. She's convinced Nora is reaching out, asking to be found.

Finn talks Zadie into a road trip following Nora's tracks guided by Finn's 'echoes' of Nora's memories with hopes of piecing together a path leading to their mother and discovering why she left five years ago...

I loved this author's debut novel Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance and was more than hopeful for a similar experience with her sophomore novel. It was a quick and easy read, however, I didn't realize it would have a YA feel to it. With that said, this is thoughtful storytelling with topics that will linger with you long after you finish. It's a mother-daughter story that will, without a doubt, appeal to a wide audience.

The Magical Realism surfaces throughout the entire story, not just little dabbles here and there. With this book, you've hit the 'Mother Lode' of magical nuggets. Yay!

What I appreciate most from this story is the depth of symbolism. The roads Zadie and Finn choose in their travels leads them to unexpected people and places. As a reader traveling along with these sisters, I experienced unexpected moments when I discovered various 'pieces of importance' in the story. These were always fun "Aha Moments"!

A beautifully written story that I highly recommend to readers who enjoy stories about family, magic, and the magic of family! 4.25 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Ruth Emmie Lang for an ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

Oh, how I loved tagging along with Zadie and her younger sister, Finn, on their journey to find their mother, Nora Wilder, who left suddenly years before. Each chapter tells either about where Zadie and Finn are, or flashes back to the moments leading up to Nora’s disappearance. I loved the characters more than the actual story itself, but this was beautifully written.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth Emmie Lang takes readers as well as her main characters Zadie and Finn Wilder on a journey in The Wilderwomen . Their mother, Nora, disappeared five years ago when Zadie was 18 and Finn 12. Why did she leave them? Where is she? Is she even alive?

Why didn’t Zadie see the disappearance coming? After all, she is a psychic and can see into the future. Finn’s ability is to get echoes of other people’s memories that have been left behind. At her graduation party, Finn gets a particularly strong echo that she realizes belongs to Nora. Finn convinces Zadie to use their beach vacation time to unravel the mystery. They plan to use her echoes to retrace Nora’s travels and find her. However, this is easier said than done.

While Zadie and Finn are likeable characters and well developed, they each have flaws that would seem to make them feel realistic. However, it took a while for me to connect with Zadie. She feels alone and abandoned. Finn was placed in foster care and they gradually have become more and more distant as the years passed. She was wrapped up in her new life and turned down invitations to meet with Zadie. Both go through transformations as events unfold, but Zadie has the most dynamic changes.

The story is atmospheric and somewhat sad with some stressful and suspenseful moments. There are several twists and turns that I didn’t expect. I felt like I was on the road trip with the sisters. The rhythm and cadence of the writing was somewhat lyrical and used strong visuals. However, it is written in a meandering fashion that tends to subdue the suspense and mystery. Additionally, there are chapters that go back in time to before Nora’s disappearance. These chapters tend to disrupt the flow.

Magical realism, great dialogue, a mother’s disappearance, an unforgettable journey, and sisters reconnecting, combined to make this novel unique and enjoyable. The characters the girls meet on their journey add another layer to the story. There are heartwarming moments that drew me into the story even more. The ending wraps everything up nicely. However, it has some surprises that readers may not expect. Themes explored include family, sisterhood, guilt, being different, anger, forgiveness, and mending broken relationships.

Overall, this story is fascinating, thought-provoking, and emotional, with great world-building. Despite the lyrical writing style, it held my attention and was very moving.

St. Martin’s Press and Ruth Emmie Lang provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for November 15, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

2/5 stars

The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang is the story of two sisters, with interesting magical abilities, who are on a journey to find their mother who disappeared five years ago. Through a winding tale of them using their abilities, they come across many wanderers and travelers who help them on their way; they also discovery they are not alone in their abilities. On this journey, will they find their mom or only uncover more secrets about each other?

To be completely honest, this book fell very flat for me - the characters did not do a lot to grasp my attention and the writing seemed...disjointed. It was rather difficult to tell which point of view we were in, and there wasn't clear lines of switching. I feel like the magical realism could have been dug into deeper. There were some great moments of sisterly bonding and underlying tones of finding yourself through life's crazy path, but it it just wasn't enough for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Since their mother’s disappearance Zadie and Finn have grown apart. Zadie is an adult living on her own and her younger sister Finn is being raised by a foster family who care deeply for her. After Finn’s graduation the two sisters decided to take a trip to reconnect and find clues about their missing mother. The girls have what is referred to as a “sixth sense”. One refuses to use her gift while the other gets lost in hers while trying to follow her mom’s footsteps. Each clue brings them to closer to finding their mom and the answers to why she left.

This book was a great mix of urban fantasy and mystery. I loved the bond the family had and the characters they met along the way. The ending was completely unexpected but perfectly done. I was sucked into the story and didn’t want to put it the book down.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang is a powerful novel about finding your roots and the importance of family. Both Zadie and Finn who are sisters are dealing with something that happened in the past. Alternating between timelines this story takes deeper into the lives of the Wilders. It's a fast paced novel and I am not sure though if it would be considered a fantasy or a literary fiction.
Woven with magical realism this story goes deeper into the bonds between a mother and her daughters. Both the sisters take a road trip where they meet interesting people and start building the puzzle of their mother.
This story tackles a lot of issues without naming them. Forgiveness, family, abandonment, finding yourself, friendship, sisterhood and ultimately love are tackled by the author in a very lyrical way. I can imagine the stars without light pollution and I can hear the songs Ursula might have written. I really enjoyed reading this book.
Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

Why did Nora leave and where did she go? Those are the questions that plague her daughters Zadie and Finn and now, five years later, they've set off on a quest to find her. They are guided, sort of, by Finn's ability to sense the memories of others, which in this case tell her that their mother went west. Finn has just turned 18 and she's left behind the foster family that has just asked to adopt her. Zadie, older than Finn, has two secrets- first that she's psychic and second that she's pregnant. The charm in this novel lies in the people they meet on their journey, such as the women at the campground in Arizona. The practical reader in me was incredulous that simply driving across the US would lead the two to Nora but the sisters are committed to Finn's sixth sense ability, which honestly was a but muddled to me. A quibble- Finn and Zadie are repeatedly referred to as "the girls," a convention I'm sure didn't bother some but which nagged at me (why not just refer to them as "the sisters?) Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Interesting read with an ending that, no spoilers, raises as many questions as it answers.

Five years ago: Nora Wilder disappears without a trace. Youngest daughter, Finn, is placed with a foster family. A lovely family from who she is keeping a secret -- she can hear echoes of peoples memories. Eldest daughter, Zadie, is suddenly on her own and doing her very best to avoid any premonitions intent on making themselves known to her. The sisters do their best to stay in contact with weekly fro-yo dates, but life has a way of...well, getting in the way.

Present day: Finn is a high school graduate and Zadie recently discovered she is pregnant. Together the girls set out on a cross-country trip in hopes of finding their mother. This unplanned trip is guided solely by Finn's echoes and gut instinct based on memories from Nora's past. The more time Finn spends in Nora's memories, the more difficult it is for her to hold on to her own. It soon becomes clear to Zadie that there is a lot more riding on finding Nora -- if they can't do it, and soon, Zadie may lose her sister and her mother indefinitely.

Wow, what a wild ride. This story was woven together so beautifully, with yarn of nature, magic, and the power of love. The bond between the sisters is truly beautiful, but the lengths they are willing to go to for Nora is incredible. Especially for Zadie, who wasn't certain she wanted to find her from the get-go. The character development is unlike anything I've ever experienced. All three women grow so immensely from beginning to end and it is communicated so well -- to each other, and to the reader.

I am in awe of what I just read. And it is worth noting that I read it in one sitting; I absolutely could not put it down (seriously, I skipped dinner).

Thank you to NetGallery and Saint Martin’s press for this ARC. I love this book and the characters the cover is the most beautiful thing that I’ve ever seen. I love the magical realism of the book and seeing what happens next on each page. I devoured the book in two days and can’t wait to read what is next from this author.

I really enjoyed this author's first novel, but the characters felt like caricatures and I didn't particularly like the writing.

A good story of magic and mother's daughters and sisters. Maybe I had too high of expectations or maybe I was too distracted but I had a hard time staying in it, and I felt unsatisfied with the lack of resolution with some story lines. It didn't feel like it was up to the reader to interpret, it felt more like the author decided it was too hard to explain/ follow up with so she just didn't. It left me wanting more but not in the good way. It wasn't a bad book but it wasn't a great book. It was like generic cola.

Loved this story of two sisters in search of the mother who disappeared years earlier. Zadie sees flashes of the future, while Finn sees other people's memories. Together they use their gifts to trace the path of their missing mother and learn a bit about each other in the process.

When I finished Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance and realized this book hadn't been released yet, I was DEVASTATED. When I was approved for an advanced copy, I was ELATED. If you aren't familiar with Ruth Emmie Lang, prepare for a magical world filled with richly written characters, beautiful prose, and stories that will keep you longing for more.

This was a pleasant little surprise. I’m not sure what expected, but what I got was even better. This book was a beautiful reminder that sometimes, in the midst of walking in someone else’s shoes, we can often find ourselves.

Wilder-Women is not something I normally would have picked up to read, however I'm glad I was given the opportunity to read it. The story is about 2 sisters on a quest to find their mother as they work on their relationship with each other and themselves. The story moved a little slow, but the character development was fantastic!

Two sisters head off on a road trip to find their mother in The Wilderwomen, the new novel from Ruth Emmie Lang.

"Nora Wilder disappeared several years ago leaving her two daughters, Zadie and Finn, behind. Both daughters have unusual gifts. Zadie is a bit of a psychic but has avoided anything resembling precognition since her mother left. Finn can hear the echoes of a memory - good and bad. Zadie plans a beach trip for Finn's birthday, but Finn convinces her to drive west to look for their Mom. They meet a lot of interesting people along the way and find a surprise at the end."

Lang has a way of writing that makes all of the quirkiness of the characters seem real. Maybe someone can hear the music the stars make or feel a memory or talk to trees. Lang's characters have good hearts and often search for some answer, while being full of hope that it's out there if you follow the clues. I was pulling for the girls to find their mom and get answers.

This story is about family and how strong familial bonds can be - even when family members are separated.

Do you have a quirky ability? Is there something you can do that's unexplainable? I have two - one is extremely useful - the other just tends to freak people out. One is that I can find stuff. Family members will misplace something and I will tell them where to look and voila - there it is. The other is that I can tell you what an announcer will say before they say it - for any sport - the exact words. Football, baseball, softball, basketball, even Olympic curling - I know the exact words. Used to freak my roommate out in college - my family just shakes their heads now.

So when Lang writes about gifts, maybe it is true. A pleasant ride of a story.

Zadie Wilder and her little sister Finn have psychic gifts: Zadie sees the future and Finn experiences other people’s memories. When Zadie was 18, their mother Nora abandoned them, and Finn was taken into foster care. Their relationship has been complicated ever since. But just after Finn’s high school graduation, she stumbles into a memory that belonged to their mother, and the two embark on a cross-country journey to try and find their mom.

I really, really loved the relationship between Zadie and Finn – it's complex and sometimes fraught, but through everything their love for each other is palpable. The journey they go through is as much about bringing them back together and healing old wounds as it is about finding Nora – Zadie felt abandoned when Finn was taken away, and Finn felt betrayed that Zadie never wanted to try and find their mother. Their relationship is the beating heart of this novel and it’s just really lovely.

There are a couple of things that have led me to dock this book a star. Specifically, I don’t really understand the point of Joel at all and I kept waiting for the book to explain how they conveniently managed to run across Zadie's ex at a random motel in a different state – I wanted it to tie into the psychic powers or magical realism in the book - but it never did. Also, to be honest I was kind of underwhelmed by the answer to the big mystery of where Nora had disappeared to, but I feel like that’s more of a personal preference than any problem with the book itself. Other people might really love it.

Overall, though, this was just a really lovely book and I do recommend it.

Representation: Queer side characters

When I first read the synopsis of The Wilderwomen, I was very intrigued. I am a big fan of anything fantasy or paranormal, and with what the blurb said, it was right up my alley. And it was. But, as I got into the book, I realized that it wasn’t what I thought it would be, which kept me from truly enjoying it.

The plotline for The Wilderwoman was interesting. It centers around two sisters, Zadie and Finn, and their search for their mother, Nora. Aiding in that search is Zadie’s ability to see glimpses of the future and Finn’s ability to see echoes of the past. On their journey, they meet people that can help them find their mother. Can Zadie and Finn find Nora and confront her? Or will this trip tear them apart for good?

Before I do anything else, I will throw up a trigger warning. There are two significant triggers in The Wilderwomen; they are the abandonment of children and mental illness. If any of these trigger you, I highly suggest not reading this book.

The Wilderwoman is a fast-paced book in the Southwest, the Rockies, and the Pacific Northwest. Zadie and Finn started in Texas, stopped at a campsite in Arizona, followed Nora’s trail to a house in the Rockies, and ended the journey on the beaches of Oregon (or Washington, I wasn’t sure).

The book centers around three main characters: Nora, Zadie, and Finn. I will highlight what I liked/disliked about each character (instead of writing huge paragraphs).

Nora––The author didn’t spend as much time on her as I would have liked. Anything I got from her was from Finn’s echoes and Zadie’s memories (mostly not nice). The more I got into Zadie’s memories; the more Nora became unstable. The author did try to redeem her at the end of the book. But I had already made up my mind at that point.
Zadie—I had alternate feelings about Zadie. I pitied her for what had happened to her (her mother taking off and having an unplanned pregnancy). But, at the same time, she annoyed me. She had a woe-is-me attitude the entire book. I also wanted to shake her because she wasn’t the only one affected by Nora’s leaving. As for her secret, I understood why she wanted to keep it from Finn. Also, I didn’t understand why she was so afraid of her ability, but I guess if I could see glimpses of the future, I would have acted the same way.
Finn—I liked her. She was the exact opposite of Zadie in so many ways. She was upbeat. She was determined to use her ability to find Nora. At one point in the book, I got worried when it seemed like her ability threatened to overtake her life. I thought her storyline would go in another direction, and I was surprised by the turn it took instead.
Several secondary characters added some much-needed depth to the book. I liked them all except Finn’s foster mother. She annoyed the cr*p out of me. I could hear that high-pitched voice and see her facial expressions whenever Zadie was around. Uggh.

The Wilderwomen’s primary genre was magical realism and a bit of fantasy and mystery mixed in. I wasn’t a big fan of the magical realism angle. I thought it covered the fact that Nora took off on her kids. But I did like the fantasy and mystery angles. The fantasy was great, and I liked how the author showcased it differently. The mystery angle was also good. I liked that Zadie and Finn had to work to find Nora’s echoes. I also liked that they had to solve why she left them.

The end of The Wilderwomen was a little disappointing. The author did an excellent job of wrapping up all the storylines, but there was something off with it. I didn’t particularly appreciate how Zadie could accept things (same as Finn). It just left a bad taste in my mouth.

Three reasons why you should read The Wilderwomen

Complex characters
Finn’s use of echoes to see the past
Zadie and Finn’s road trip
Three reasons why you shouldn’t read The Wilderwomen

Triggers of child abandonment and mental illness
Zadie’s attitude for 90% of the book
The ending. I wasn’t expecting it to end the way it did.
I would recommend The Wilderwomen to anyone over 16. There is no sex. But there is some mild violence and language. Also, see my trigger warning above.

A good book let’s you imagine things you might not otherwise imagine on your own. This is that book. The characters are so finely drawn that they drew me back to the book repeatedly. This is magical reality, so you have to suspend your belief just a little to follow Zadie and Finn on their journey. But this is the kind of book that makes you perfectly willing to do that.
Zadie, 23, and Finn, 18, have been without their birth mother for five years. Because Finn was a minor when Nora left, she has been placed in foster care where, luckily, she thrives. But she leaves her own graduation party and convinces her sister (with whom she has had a somewhat remote relationship in recent years) that they need to go find their mother.
Finn has echoes. She can sense people’s memories. And that is the tool they are going to use to follow their mother’s trail. Zadie has premonitions but refuses to acknowledge them as they are difficult and often painful. They are supposed to be on a beach trip to the gulf coast, but instead they head west.
The people they meet and the situations they encounter are the story, of course. But the story is also the rebuilding of the relationship between Zadie and Finn. I really can’t tell you anything about the ending without spoiling it for you.
When I first started this book, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. I received an ARC from the publisher, for which I am grateful. But the more I read the deeper I was hooked, until in the end (to use a cliché) I literally couldn’t put it down. It truly was a privilege to read this unusual novel.